OpenAI’s ‘Computer History’ turns user activity into corporate training data, raising systemic privacy, labor and data‑colonialism concerns
Original framing: “ChatGPT’s Computer History tracks your clicks and keystrokes” — The Verge
Low‑wage gig workers, migrant laborers, and people with disabilities are disproportionately affected by invisible data extraction, yet their perspectives are rarely amplified. Community‑based research has documented how such groups experience algorithmic profiling that limits job opportunities and privacy. Elevating these voices is crucial for designing safeguards that reflect lived realities.
The introduction of OpenAI’s Computer History feature sits at the intersection of data‑colonial extraction, historical labor surveillance, and emerging AI monopolies, while sidelining Indigenous stewardship and marginalised labor perspectives.
Cross‑cultural case studies from Africa and Asia demonstrate viable alternatives that embed collective governance, challenging the prevailing narrative of individual consent. Scientific evidence warns of bias amplification, urging the adoption of differential privacy and rigorous impact assessments. By invoking trickster logic, we reveal the paradox of a ‘personal assistant’ that simultaneously erodes autonomy, prompting a re‑imagining of consent as a communal contract. Implementing data trusts, participatory design, and public open‑source AI can transform the current exploitative model into a more equitable, culturally respectful, and future‑resilient ecosystem.